There were a lot of positives heading into the Edmonton Elks Week 9 matchup with the BC Lions on Saturday, August 6. The Elks were coming off of a bye week and were well rested. The Elks Head coach Chris had two weeks to prepare a game plan for Nathan Rourke and the powerful Lions offense. And, key players were returning from the injured reserve list.
You had to think that the Elks would’ve been in a better position than they were going into Week 1 of the season when they got pasted 59-15 by the Lions. But no, not by a long shot. The Elks managed to let Rourke throw for 5 touchdowns and score one of his own on the ground while racking up 477 passing yards as the Lions cruised to a 46-14 victory.
The Elks now fall to 2-6 on the season, and return home on Saturday, August 13th for a match against the 4-4 Saskatchewan Roughriders. The Elks will be looking for their first home win in over a thousand days against the Riders. Needless to say, they’re going to need it to try and stay competitive in the CFL’s West Division. It’s becoming evidently clear that the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, BC Lions and Calgary Stampeders are the cream of the crop in the West and the CFL overall.
Edmonton Elks Searching for Positives
Watching the Elks get their butts handed to them at the hands of the Lions for the second time this season was difficult.
The only bright spot came early in the game when Elks Quarterback Taylor Cornelius tossed a 19-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Lawler, tying the game at 7-7 in the 1st Quarter. After that Rourke took over, while the BC defense stepped up and chased Cornelius all over the field for the remainder of the game. As the death march wore on in the fourth quarter, the only positive I could think of was this was the first game for the Lions and first win under new Chief Operating Officer, Duane Vienneau. Duane was a fixture in the Edmonton Sporting Community for many years serving as Executive Director for Edmonton’s Grey Cups in 2010 and 2018. Vienneau was also President of the Edmonton Rush of the National Lacrosse League. This victory for the Lions couldn’t have happened to a nicer, more deserving guy.
Looking Ahead at the Edmonton Elks Schedule
The Elks play at home against the Riders on Saturday the 13th, and then play back-to- back games against the Ottawa Redblacks on August 19th in Ottawa and back home in Commonwealth on Saturday, August 27th.
All three games are important but the home-and-home series against Ottawa will likely define the season. If the Elks are able to win 2 out of their next 3 games, they will have hope. Lose all 3 and you might as well start looking ahead to next season.
Stay with CFL News Hub for the 2022 season.